Women’s rights are the blind spot in the climate fight

A new report from the Population Institute says global climate efforts wrongly ignore women’s reproductive rights. The report, “Population and Climate Change Vulnerability,” notes that climate-related deaths were 56% higher in Europe’s most recent heat wave, and women face increased risks of gender-based violence or reduced access to contraception after natural disasters. It calls for integrating family planning, education and bodily autonomy into climate change policy to empower women. “Unfortunately, public funding for family planning is moving in the wrong direction,” Population Institute CEO Kathleen Mogelgaard says. “But incorporating these measures into climate planning is one of the most hopeful, impactful things we can do.”